About IFHNOS

History

Council

Governing Council

News

Events

Journal

Payments & Donations

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HISTORY

Dr. Jatin P. Shah, of New York, conceived the establishment of an international body bringing together all specialists involved in the care of patients with Head and Neck Cancer. He presented this thought to the Executive Council of the Society of Head and Neck Surgeons, (SHNS) at its Retreat in Princeton, NJ, USA, in the summer of 1985. The proposal was enthusiastically received by the SHNS, and he was encouraged to proceed. By August of 1986, leaders of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies worldwide were contacted to explore the feasibility of establishment of an International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies with the purpose of “establishing channels of communication to enhance exchange of information and improving knowledge as well as exploring new directions in the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of patients with head and neck cancer”. This proposal was enthusiastically received by leaders in the field from various parts of the world, culminating in the formation of a steering committee which met on May 1, 1987, at the Grosvenor House, in London. Representatives of sixteen Head and Neck Organizations from North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia were present. The steering committee drafted the constitution and bylaws of the Federation which was subsequently ratified by the Governing Council which consisted of one member from each member organization in the Federation. Dr. Jatin Shah was elected Secretary General by unanimous vote of the Governing Council.

Initial programs of the Federation consisted of expanding the membership of the Federation with compilation of a newsletter, development of an international directory of members of component member societies and organization of World Congresses. Over the years the Federation has grown with a membership of 53 Head and Neck oncologic organizations, representing 65 countries, from every part of the world. Annual Newsletters were published initially, and these were eventually transitioned into an active and current Web site. (www.ifhnos.net). The Federation is able to reach over 40,000 specialists, located in nearly every corner of the world, providing care to patients with head and neck cancer through membership of its component societies. The Federation has successfully attained its initial goal and mission of establishing channels of communication to foster camaraderie amongst professionals involved in the care of patients with head and neck cancer.

World Congress

Quadrennial World Congresses of the Federation have been held since 1998, starting with the first World Congress in Mumbai, India in December 1997 under the leadership of Dr. Ashok Mehta.

The second World Congress was held in December 2002 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil under the leadership of Dr. Geraldo Matos D’Sa.

The third World Congress was held in Prague, Czech Republic in June 2006 with Dr. Jan Betka as Congress President.

The fourth World Congress was held in Seoul, Korea with Dr. Kwang Hyun Kim serving as President.

The fifth World Congress celebrating the Centennial of the Head and Neck Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center was held in New York in July of 2014 with a record breaking attendance of over 3,200 attendees..

Future congresses of the IFHNOS are planned for Buenos Aires in 2018, and Rome in 2022.

World Tour

An innovative Global Continuing Medical Education program, “The IFHNOS World Tour”, was introduced in 2008, offering a two and half day conference conducted by World leaders in the Head and Neck specialties, over 4-5 weeks. This program has been offered in 34 locations around the world, including, in London, Barcelona, Rome, Athens, Warsaw, Moscow, Mumbai, Beijing, Bangkok, Buenos Aires, Bogota, (2010); St. Petersburg, Frankfurt, Antalya, Bangalore, Manila, Shanghai, Mexico city, (2012); Kiev, Amsterdam, Cairo, Ahmedabad, Guangzhou, Jakarta, Brisbane, Sao Paulo, (2016); Moscow, Prague, Riyadh, Delhi, Seoul, HongKong, Auckland, and Rio de Janeiro. In future, this program will be offered every year for two weeks in four locations, in the month of October, at different destinations worldwide.

Global On Line Fellowship (GOLF)

A new program of the Federation, "Global On Line Fellowship" was introduced in 2014 with the goal of standardization of training of specialists in the field of Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology. This very successful program currently has over 300 candidates from 48 countries, pursuing the Fellowship. It is anticipated that the graduates of this fellowship program will be Head and Neck surgeons with an improved knowledge base, judgment, and a systematic approach to diagnosis and treatment for their patients.

World Head and Neck Cancer day (WHNCD)

At the 5th world congress of IFHNOS, July 27th was pronounced as the "World Head and Neck Cancer Day". This annual event will be observed around the world to increase awareness about head and neck cancer amongst specialists, physicians, trainees, public at large and government officials. Over 53 countries have participated in this event, whereupon campaigns of awareness, risk factors, free screening clinics, CME programs, public rallies, and media interviews and newspaper advertisements are displayed about head and neck cancer.

International Observership Program (IOP)

An International "Observership Program" is offered by IFHNOS through the generosity of a charitable Family Foundation, to support observership to young surgeons from resource challenged regions of the world to travel to North America to spend up to two months at major centers of excellence in Head and neck surgery.

NEWS

Report on 4th IFHNOS World Congress, Seoul: June, 2010
The 4th World Congress for IFHNOS was held in Seoul, 15-18 June 2010, and was a resounding success. The meeting was well attended and superbly organized. The program was simply outstanding. Pictures and a report of the meeting are available.

5th IFHNOS World Congress
The 5th World Congress of IFHNOS was held in New York 26-30 July 2015, jointly with the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS) and coincided with the Centenary of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

JOURNAL

Head & Neck

The International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies has an official journal “Head and Neck”, published by Wiley InterScience. This is the only, peer reviewed International leading journal, which exclusively publishes articles in “the sciences and specialties of the head and neck”. The journal enjoys a high impact factor. The Editorial Board of the journal is composed of leaders in the specialty of Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology, from the United States and from all parts of the world in it’s International Editorial Board. The IFHNOS has two representatives on the editorial board of the journal. News and activities of the IFHNOS are regularly published in each issue of the journal. Previously published articles in “Head and Neck” are available online here.

PAYMENTS & DONATIONS

Payments for Membership to IFHNOS, by National or Regional organizations, who are members of IFHNOS can be made, either Annually ($ 100), or for a membership for a Five year period ($400), by any of the following methods.

Payments of fees for the "Global On Line Fellowship", can also be made by any of the following methods.

METHODS OF PAYMENT

A bank check made out in US Dollars to "IFHNOS", and mailed to the IFHNOS office at : IFHNOS, C/O, Dr. Jatin Shah, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY. 10065. USA
Direct Wire transfer from Bank to Bank, as follows:

1. Payment by Credit Card Please click here to make a payment with a credit card through PayPal